The Next Time
by FictionQuxxn
Summary: The sequel to 'Godly Initiative'. Evelyn Stark has never been the same after Loki left Earth, to be tried and imprisoned on his home planet of Asgard. What will his reappearance do to Evie and the rest of the Avengers, especially when his return lines up with the birth of the rogue AI: Ultron, who plans to destroy humanity. But is anything ever as it seems? T for some swearing.
1. One

**_One_**

 _I opened my eyes, and was greeted with the familiar barren wasteland and dead trees that made up the world of the Dark Elves. As with every other time I had woken here, I made my way down the bleached, gray sandy hill. The stale, dead breeze ruffled my hair slightly, and the smell of sulphurous gases, on-top of dark magic made me want to vomit._

 _I tried to breathe as shallowly as possible, taking my usual route across the withered landscape, preparing to see the face of a certain Dark Elf, who had been plaguing my dreams. Every night for the past month, I had returned here, and stumbled through the sand, to hear Malekith murmur the same phrase over and over, until I woke._

 _'Don't believe...'_

 _I was broken out of my reverie, when a pained cry reached my ears. Without thought, I broke into a sprint, and the sight that met my eyes after reaching the crest of the hill nearly broke me. Dozens of bodies (Dark Elven bodies) littered the ground, heads caved in, chests, sides and backs gaping open, their black blood staining the sand a gruesome dark purple. This wasn't what stopped my heart, or froze the breath in my lungs._

 _A giant stood in the midst of this chaos, a sword sticking straight through his chest, swaying on the spot while blood oozed from his front. And hanging from the end of this sword, the tip of which had pierced through his sternum, while he twitched and grimaced in pain, was Loki. He let out a soft grunt, as the giant yanked him from the blade, and he fell to the ground, eyes closing._

 _"LOKIIIII!" I screamed, and threw myself down the hill, covering the distance between us in a few seconds. I was aware of Thor kneeling by his side, and Loki talking in broken whispers to him. I just stared at him, hands cradling his face, my own face frozen in an expression of shocked horror. Tears blurred my vision, and Loki's head turned to look at me._

 _"Evelyn..." he croaked, coughing softly. His skin was turning an ugly gray-blue, and the vivid colour in his eyes drained away, as did his life._

 _"No... no no no no..." I whispered, shaking my head. "You said there would be a next time... Please, no Loki... I should have stopped this..."_

 _"The Lady Evelyn is not here, brother. I shall tell her of your brave deeds this day..." Thor murmured, his hand squeezing Loki's pale one. Loki ignored him, and kept his eyes locked with mine._

 _"It's not your fault, love... I love you..." Loki's frame was wracked with coughs again, and I let out a wail, burying my head in the crook of his neck._

 _"Stay with me, please!" I sobbed, chest constricting tightly, throat aching with my choked emotion. I felt his small smile and the trembling pressure of his lips on my forehead._

 _"Now and forever..." His chest stopped moving, and everything was sucked away into blackness..._

I shot up in bed, screaming, hair matted, tears marring my cheeks, Loki's blood staining my hands, chest, and sheets. My dad burst into the room, looking around frantically, before his eyes found the blood. I curled over myself, my mouth fixed open in a horrified wail.

"Evie, what-?"

"HE'S GONE!" I shrieked, turning my bloodied hands over and over, while they shook erratically. "HE'S DEAD! HE'S-!" I choked, and turned over, retching, and my dinner splattered on the wooden flooring, while I shook, and cried, eyes squeezed shut.

"Who, Evie, who-?" My dad stopped, and I felt the dip in the bed, as he climbed on next to me. His hand reached forward, and he snagged my wrist, examining the two charms that hung from my bracelet. I stopped crying, hand going to cover my mouth as my eyes met the trinkets. I then speedily turned, and threw up again, my body rejecting this final confirmation of my lover's passing.

The golden snowflake had twisted, and warped, looking as though it had melted, fading to an ugly, tarnished silver colour. And the emerald heart... that had turned to a corrupted, uneven black, and spider web cracks laced across the surface, originating from one clean hole through the middle of it. My body shut down, and I welcomed the escape the gaping abyss offered.

I was faintly aware of my body toppling from the bed, the two charms shattering on the hard-wood floor, and my dad leaping to his feet, screaming for help...

I tried to go about life normally. I really did.

I busied myself with mundane tasks: cooking, cleaning, shopping, washing clothes; all used to try and ignore what I knew to be true... but that all ended on the fourth day. Thor arrived in the late hours of the night. One look at his face had me spiralling into a pit of sorrow and despair.

I bolted back to my room, and put it under lock-down. I curled up on my bed, and cried myself to sleep: my first second of rest since that disastrous dream/vision. It only lasted a few hours. I woke a short time later, screaming bloody murder, my long nails raking across my face and throat. There were shouts and lots of banging from the other side of my door, but I refused to let them in. I couldn't stop screaming, and I continued clawing at my throat, trying to stop the noise.

There was a loud crash, and my wall caved in, causing my screams to cut short. Thor barrelled into the room, closely followed by the other Avengers, who were all suited up. I stared at them blankly, blood streaming down my throat, and dripping from my nails. Natasha was the first to realise what had happened, and she came forward slowly, so as not to startle me.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry..." she whispered, wrapping me in a tight hug. I broke down, and cried on her shoulder, my chest feeling empty, head and throat aching, body too sensitive, and too numb, all at once. The Other Guy shuffled forward, plucked Nat away from me, and drew me into his chest, curled up like a cat. He lumbered into the living room, and sat down heavily, with me still tucked against him.

He made soft humming and cooing noises, trying to comfort me. I giggled tearfully, and nestled my head against his chest. His large fingers reached up, and carefully stroked my hair into submission, smoothing it away from my face. He set up a steady rocking motion, while the others filed into the room.

"Evie, are you okay?" My dad's face-plate had pulled back, and his face was drawn and tired, creased in worry. I didn't deign him with an answer, and instead chose to curl further into the warmth of the Hulk's chest.

"Safe..." he rumbled, arms closing more securely around me.

"Thanks, Big Guy," I croaked, smiling shakily. My smile then faded, and I fought to hold back tears. "But he's not..."

"Lady Evelyn, he died brav-"

"NO!" I spat, turning to glare furiously at Thor. "Don't you dare finish that sentence! He shouldn't have died at all, and... and..." I was hyperventilating now, and Natasha sighed heavily.

"Jarvis, give her something to calm down..." she whispered, so quietly I almost missed what she said. I started to protest, but the smell of ice and parchment was already in the air. I caught the scent of drugs, masked behind the pleasant aroma, and I glared at Nat, even though my eyes were already closing.

"Fuck... you..." I breathed, already relaxing into the Other Guy's hold.

"You'll thank me later..." muttered Black Widow. I relinquished my hold on consciousness, and spiralled into sleep.

My life was meaningless now, time lost all relevance, and I never spoke. Not that I ever really had an opportunity to.

I stayed shut up in my room, curled in a ball, staring at a blank stretch of wall. I didn't eat, I didn't drink, and the need to use the restroom faded quickly. I grew thin, my hair lifeless, and my body was wracked with illness. My magic was the thing that saved me. I had fallen into a dozy sleep, head pounding, skin burning with a raging fever, and ready to die, when Bruce walked into the room.

"Evelyn?" His loud voice cut through my haze, and I groaned, sluggishly turning my head away from him. He cursed, and dropped at my side, hand resting over my forehead. His hand ripped away suddenly, and was placed underneath my knees instead. His other hand supported my back, and he jerked upright, rushing me out of my room.

I was laid on a table, and I felt all manner of tubes and needles being shoved under my skin. I twitched, and wriggled, trying to get away. I didn't want all this fuss. I just wanted everything to stop.

"Come on Evelyn, you can get through this..." Bruce's encouraging voice drifted down to whatever hazy level of thought I was occupying, and I scoffed internally. I didn't want to get through this. I was so close. I could see Loki again...

"What's wrong with her, Banner?!" asked my dad, his voice frantic. His fingers brushed some hair away from my face, and I squeezed my eyes more tightly shut against the harsh lighting.

"Fever, malnutrition, dehydration, she's delirious... And if you don't move out of the way, and let me work with her, we're gonna lose her..."

 _Finally..._ I muttered, letting a small smile surface.

 _No!_ A soft voice cut through my head. The beeping of the heart monitor stalled for a solid second, causing my dad and Banner to fall silent, before it started back up. _No, Evie, you are not leaving me! What happened to 'now and forever'..?_

 _Loki?_ I breathed, face going slack in shock, breathing stopping.

"SHIT!" cursed Bruce and Dad in tandem. I started breathing raggedly again, trying to make sense of what was happening. Was I already gone..?

 _No, love, but you will be if you don't heal yourself. Don't do this to me, Evelyn, stop being so selfish! You fight on, because I'm coming for you soon..!_

 _What do you mean?!_ I cried, heart clenching painfully.

 _I love you..._ And then he was gone. My anger flared inside me, and my magic woke up, coiling around me, tendrils seeping into my skin and fixing my damaged body. My eyes flew open, and I gasped a few times, while my magic ripped the tubes from my arms. I sat up, checking my newly flushed skin, then collapsed back on the table, eyes rolling into my head.


	2. Two

**_Two_**

It had been about half a year that I had had to exist without Him. His absence still pained me, although I wasn't the emotional wreck I had been in those three weeks afterwards. The others took great care around me, not talking about Him, or the battle, and ensuring that there were no reminders of Him left lying around. My father also prohibited me from attending any press conferences, so that a poorly aimed question would not send me into another spiralling depression.

My 22nd birthday rolled into town, on November 17th, as did a truck load of gifts. I was wrestled into a fancy dress, and forced to attend a party I did not want, or need. Although going to that party was probably the best moment of my new life. Because it was there that I received the thing that finally allowed me to move on.

It wasn't the shiny new cars and designer clothes that my dad had brought for me. It wasn't the Asgardian jewellery, or scrolls of magic from Thor. It wasn't the almost limitless credit card Pepper had set up. It wasn't the gym that Clint, Nat, Steve and Bruce had worked on, which now allowed me to train on a course designed to hone my magic. It wasn't the confirmation from S.H.I.E.L.D. that I was now an official part of the Avengers team (codename-Mana).

No.

It was the snow.

For as long as I could remember, I had always wished for it to snow on my birthday. So my dad had just smiled sadly, and let me leave the party, and run to the roof of the newly instated Avengers' Tower, and stand there as snow fell about me, coating any and every available surface.

The snow fell only on the Tower, and it was this strange phenomena that let me know that His awareness had survived, and was out there somewhere, watching over me. I knelt in the snow, looking up at the sky, blinking the flakes from my lashes, and allowing myself to say His name for the first time in months: for the first time since The Dream.

"Thank you, Loki. I love you..."

I could have easily imagined the response that floated to me on the frigid autumn air.

 _...Now and forever..._

With the coming of a new year, came the start of a new me. I threw myself into my training, physical and magical, spending at least three hours a day in the specialised gyms. Steve helped me with my strength and stamina, Clint with my accuracy and speed, Nat with my agility and opponent weaknesses, and Thor for just general banter.

I had grown much closer with the blond brute in those first few months, and I had to admit that at first it was because he was the last link I had to Loki. But after a few weeks, I found that Thor's loveable temperament, and fierce protectiveness of me made him a fearsome and reliable ally. We were drawn closer still by our joint grieving. Out of the whole team, he was the only one that missed Loki almost as much as me.

One training session in particular brought to light exactly how fondly Thor thought of me, and had forever cemented my positive image of the Asgardian powerhouse of muscle.

 _"Keep going!" Thor bellowed, rolling away from one of my frazzling blasts of energy. I panted a little, sweat trickling down my face, neck, and back, and I kept hurling roiling pulses of magic at the warrior. He chuckled, and dodged my attacks with ease. This only angered me further, and I threw a net of electricity at him, and it expanded as it spun through the air, until it was large enough to snare a school bus._

 _Thor stopped laughing, and grunted, as he swung Mjolnir at the net, causing it to rebound, and fly straight back at me. I froze up, watching it with wide eyes before I thought to move. I dived to the side, but the edges of the electric grid snared my ankles, and I shrieked, crumpling on the floor, shaking while energy arced up and down my body. Thor charged over, and I used my magic to dissipate the net, before I flipped onto my back, gasping like a fish out of water._

 _"Are you alright, sister?" Thor asked, his hands on my shoulders, as he gazed worriedly down at me. My brows creased, and I sat up slowly, running my hands over my body, to heal myself._

 _"Sister?" I questioned, looking at him while my magic quickly repaired the burns I has sustained. Thor checked himself, and drew his hands away, staring at the floor with creased brows, as he gripped Mjolnir's handle._

 _"Forgive me, Evelyn, it was not my place to-"_

 _But I cut him off, launching forwards, and wrapping my arms around his neck. He hesitated for a moment, before he hugged me back, his cheek resting on top of my head._

 _"Thank you," I choked out, trying not to cry. "It means so much to me to know that you- Just... I see you as a brother, too..."_

 _"Of course," he murmured, arms tightening infinitesimally. "Evelyn, before we left for the Dark World, Loki made me promise to keep you safe the next time I returned to Midgard. And now he is no longer here to keep you safe, I vow to protect you with my life, in honour of him. And after all that you have done for Midgard, my friends, and most of all, my brother... You deserve at least to be seen as one of my kin. And had Loki but survived... I have no doubt that you would have become my legal sister before long..!"_

 _"Oh Thor," I breathed, burying my face into the collar of his shirt._

 _"It's alright to cry, sister," he rumbled, rubbing my back. "He lives on in us..."_

 _"Now and forever," I croaked, smiling despite my tears. He chuckled throatily, and it sounded as though he were trying not to cry either._

 _"Indeed, Evie. Now-!" he pulled back, a suspicious and sparkling wetness to his baby blue eyes. He grinned, and helped me to my feet. "How say you for round 2?"_

I was interrupted from my reminiscing by an urgent knock on my door. I sighed, and pulled myself up from the bed, padding across the panelled floor, and to the door. I opened, it, to find Natasha standing there, wearing a white and black empire-waisted cocktail dress with a flowing skirt. She gaped at me, looking shocked.

"Yes..?" I asked, opening the door completely. She shook her head, still staring.

"How are you not ready for the party yet?!" she asked, eyes running over my jogging bottoms and gray tank top. I snorted, and leaned against the door jamb.

"I'm not going. I'm going out later with some of my friends. Is that a problem?"

"Hell yeah you are!" she muttered sarcastically, before barging past me. "Get an outfit, and I'll do your hair and make-up."

"Umm: hold up!" I yelled, slamming the door, and stalking after her. "You don't just barge in here and tell me what to do! I am otherwise engaged this evening, so I can't make it!"

"I'll just have Jarvis call them up, and say you were busy," she said, pulling straighteners from a basket, and make-up from my bedside table.

"You're insufferable!" I shouted, stamping my foot.

"I'm an assassin," she dead-panned, ushering me towards my walk-in-wardrobe. I cursed under my breath, and walked over to my party dresses. I browsed through them, before deciding on a poison green dress my dad had brought me for my birthday.

It was from The Morpheus Boutique, strapless, it went down to about mid-thigh, and had an abstract leaf design on it. The centre of the leaf started at my left hip, and its fronds went from the hem of the left bust, all the way round to the middle of the dress, just below the hips.

I knelt down, pawing through my shoes, before I pulled out two pairs, and then spent about two minutes weighing the pros and cons of the shoes. I huffed impatiently, but smiled at the white and black pair of wedged hi-tops in my hands, after I had put the black strappy heels back. I stood, and took the items into the other room, where Nat was laying out all of my cosmetics and hair products on a little table.

"Hurry up!" she snapped, not looking up as she pointed to the bathroom. I rolled my eyes, and walked into the bathroom, laying my dress on the dresser, and my shoes by the door. I hopped into the shower, soaping down with a vanilla and bergamot shower gel, and lathered my hair with a macadamia nut shampoo.

I was only in the shower for about six minutes, but I could almost feel the impatience rolling off Natasha in waves when I exited the bathroom, wearing my dress and shoes. The testy red-head shoved me down in the chair, sweeping a brush swiftly through my damp hair. A mirror was propped up in front of me so I could see what I was doing as I applied my make-up.

I went fairly basic, and tried to go for a sexily sophisticated look. A put on a thin layer of liquid foundation, applied a touch of rouge to my cheeks, and touched up my eyebrows. I applied liquid liner with a light hand, the thin wing at the corner of my eyes making them pop. I dusted shimmery gold eye-shadow on my lids, before painting my lips a matte crimson colour.

Natasha was focused completely on heating my chestnut hair, which was streaked with thin golden strands, into long loose barrel curls. She was finished in about half an hour, and then she had me stand up while she walked in circles around me, pausing occasionally to added rings, or bracelets, and fix up parts of my hair, or make-up.

"Good enough," she muttered, and I growled under my breath as she practically dragged me from the room. We hopped in the elevator, and the fluorescent lighting glinted off of my charmed Mjolnir necklace that I never removed. The elevator slid down seamlessly, with hardly a noise, and as we got closer to the communal living floors, the loud music began to penetrate the thick steel walls, the party already in full swing.

The elevator coasted to a halt, and the doors opened with a dainty chime, revealing the party-goers to our eyes. Natasha smiled tightly at anyone who called out to us, while I beamed unreservedly. I was much more at home in this environment than Nat would ever be. Natasha peeled away from me after a minute, heading over to where Clint and Steve stood, chatting over drinks, while I headed over to Bruce.

"Hey there Bruce," I said, leaning against the wall next to the shy scientist.

"Evelyn," he said, a small smile breaking free. I noticed his knuckles straining against the skin of his hand, from where it was clamped around his glass. I laid my hand on his forearm, and he consciously relaxed, his shoulders falling ever so slightly.

"Relax, Doc," I murmured, winking at him. "You've haven't had in incident in nearly two years now. I have this covered anyway. The Big Guy won't hurt me..."

"It astounds me how confident you are," he grumbled, exhaling in a gust. I beamed, and gave him a quick one armed hug.

"That's just me, Doc. Better get used to it!"


	3. Three

**_Three_**

"And so she said: 'I wouldn't mind fighting for my life if I died in the knowledge that I actually _touched_ Captain America!'"

I laughed politely at the elderly Mr Lee's joke, but it soon turned into full on hysterics as Steve's face turned bright red, and he began spluttering. I had just creased up in another fit of giggles when I saw _it_ , and I sobered up immediately.

That shock of black hair. Those burning green eyes.

I shoved through the group of people, not even bothering to toss an apology over my shoulder. I weaved through people, surging towards the place I last saw him.

"Evie!" Steve, called, trying to follow me. The crowd parted eagerly for him, although they didn't pay much attention to him, or me for that matter. I stopped in the centre of the room, looking around wildly. I took a deep breath, and reached out with my magic, sending invisible tendrils of it shooting about the room, trying to track him down.

"Evie."

Steve's voice and hand clamping down on my shoulder snapped me out of it, and I turned, looking up into his concerned blue gaze. I sighed, realising that I was acting dangerously. If he started to worm his way back into my conscious as hallucinations, I wouldn't survive the fallout of coming to reality once again.

"I saw _Him_ , Steve. I swear it..." I said, too low for anyone except him to hear. He narrowed his eyes, and he quickly ran them over the crowd, being a good half a foot taller than the people around us.

"Even if he was alive, Evie, he wouldn't be here. He would be locked up in an Asgardian cell, as we both know. I just think you're tired. I told Nat this was a bad idea. Look, go back to your room, and I'll have Banner..." By this point he had turned back to face me, except I was already moving. "Evie?"

I had slipped away, certain that I had caught the black and white flash of a tux between two dancing bodies. The cheeky grin he tossed my way when the woman twirled away from her partner. I had only made it a few metres, however, when I literally bumped into James Rhodes.

"Baby Stark!" he yelled, loud enough for half the room to hear. Several people whooped and hollered, most of them laughing good-naturedly, and I grinned sheepishly, enthusiastically embracing my dad's best-friend, ergo my uncle-figure.

"Uncle Rhodey!" I grinned, squeezing the man, and rolling my eyes at my dad and Thor, who stood just behind him.

"How are you doing, baby-girl? Your Pops said you weren't holding up well after that guy... yunno... but he said you were getting better! You feelin' well enough to come take a spin in the suits with me and your old man soon?"

"Like I'd need the suit," I scoffed, making a lazy beckoning motion with my hand. A flute filled with champagne floated towards us, and I snagged it out of the air, offering it to him. "Drink?"

"Well, 'scuuuuuse me!" he sassed, ruffling my hair. I scowled, and left the glass hovering in mid-air, while I fixed my curls, much to the amusement of the three men.

Ten minutes later or so, James had decided to launch into one of his 'world-renowned' War Machine stories, with the... ahem... _great_ punch lines...

"Well, you know, the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like: 'Boom! You looking for this?'!"

Thor and my dad stared rather blankly at Rhodey, still waiting for the punch line. I snickered into my Bacardi, before taking a large mouthful.

"'Boom! Are you looking-!' Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills!" Rhodey complained, taking several large gulps of champagne. I smiled sympathetically, and patted his shoulder.

"That's the whole story?" clarified Thor, looking utterly confused.

"Yeah!" says Rhodey indignantly, and I cut in before one of them got hurt.

"It's a War Machine story," I said giving Thor a significant look.

"Well, it's very good then," Thor laughed, slapping Rhodey on the back. James' drink slopped everywhere, and I tried to hide a snort. "It's impressive!"

"Quality save," Rhodey and I said at the same time: James slightly bitter, while I was dying with barely suppressed laughter. I calmed down enough to wave the men goodbye, and move further into the swell of people, heading for the sliding reinforced glass doors. The room was heating up quickly, and my mind had moved back to less savoury topics, like the 'appearance' of one person who I knew could never come back.

I stepped out onto the balcony, and walked to the metal and glass railings, leaning on the cold bar, and closing my eyes. I let my hair whip in the wind, and my worries fly with it. I completely emptied my head, and stood there, one with the earth and sky, the heat and the cold, thinking about oblivion.

After what felt like mere minutes, my father ushered me back inside, to sit down with the rest of the group, now that the guests had left for the night/early morning.

"But it's a trick!" Clint protested, gesturing wildly at Mjolnir, where it rested on the glass coffee table.

"No no, it's much more than that!" Thor guffawed, grinning around at everyone. I sat down on the arm of his chair, and he smiled to me quickly as Clint continued:

"Oh, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the POWER! Whatever, man, it's a trick!" he slurred, swatting Thor's honesty away. I sighed, knowing exactly where this was leading.

"Please, be my guest," Thor urged, waving Clint towards the hammer.

"Oh, this is gonna be beautiful," someone snarked, and I rolled my eyes at Clint.

"Now, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," my dad quipped, smirking at Clint. I groaned, and slumped into Thor. He chuckled, and patted my knee, watching Clint's every move with bright eyes.

Clint grasped Mjolnir's handle, and heaved with all his strength. Veins and tendons stood out in his neck, and his face went red, but the only response the hammer gave was the creaking of stiff leather. Clint gave up, chuckling in bemusement.

"Still don't know how ya do it!" My dad made some sort of wise-crack, and I waved him forward.

"Dad, by all means!" My dad stepped up confidently, and there was a round of mutterings.

"Never was one to shrink from an honest challenge..." he began, standing in front of the table. "It's physics." he reasoned, and a few people repeated him in disbelief. "So if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course," Thor said gravely, and I tried not to laugh.

"I will be reinstituting the right of Prima Noctae," my dad assured, and I choked on the air a little. He heaved on the hammer, and it didn't make a sound, let alone move. "Be right back..."

To his credit, my dad exhausted all available options. He tried to use part of his suit, Rhodey, and even he and Rhodey tag-teaming with the help of their suits couldn't shift the hammer.

Bruce had a turn, pretending to 'Hulk-out' to try and get us to laugh. There was dead silence, and I smiled pityingly at him, shaking my head minutely. Steve was the next to step up. He pulled with all his might, and the hammer twitched every so often. Thor looked rather worried, and when Steve gave up, he smiled, looking almost relieved.

"Widow?" someone asked.

"Oh no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "That's not a question I need answered."

"Baby Stark?" Rhodey called, still puffed out from his attempt. I thought it over for a second, then shrugged, getting to my feet. I had a sudden flash of inspiration as I stood there, hands on Mjolnir's handle. I flexed my fingers, as if getting ready to pull, but secretly sent out a field of magic. Confident that the magic was in place, I pulled my arms up, and seemingly lifted Mjolnir right off the table.

"Huh..." I mused, twirling the hammer about. Everyone gaped at me, and Thor was deathly pale, his face slack. I sent Mjolnir right for his face, only for it to dissolve on contact, the cloaking spell on the real hammer fading away. The look on Thor's face was priceless: I pretty much collapsed, using Mjolnir to hold myself upright. Everyone else started to laugh too, and Thor looked utterly relieved.

"-Like a security code," my father was saying over the laughter, trying in vain to puzzle out how Mjolnir worked. "'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' I think, is the literal translation."

"Yes, that's a, uh very, very interesting theory. I however, have a simpler one." Thor stood up, and ambled over, holding Mjolnir lightly in one hand, and lifting it effortlessly off the table. "You're all not worthy!"

Several people started to laugh, but a high-pitched ringing filled the air, and I grimaced, standing up, looking for the source. A creepy, creaking groan replaced the squeal, and a battered endoskeleton staggered towards us from the direction of the elevator.

"No..." it mumbled, seeming disoriented. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers..."

"Stark..?" Steve asked; his eyes locked on the defective bot.

"Jarvis..!" my dad urged, fiddling with a glass remote in his hand, not taking his eyes off of the advancing endoskeleton.

"I'm sorry... I was asleep," the skeleton apologised, taking another lurching step forwards. My hands fell to my sides, and very faint white energy started to gather around my fingers. "Or... I was a dream..."

"Reboot," my dad muttered. "Legionnaire S... Got a buggy suit-!"

"There was a... terrible noise..." it said, looking around with sightless eyes. "I was tangled in... _strings_... Had to kill the other guy... He was a good guy..."

I suddenly started to get a very bad feeling about this bot. I searched for the familiar hum of Jarvis' energy, but felt nothing, just a... a _gap_.

"You killed someone?" Steve asked warily, looking around automatically for a casualty.

"Wouldn't have been my first call..." the robot commented casually, as if talking about a soccer match on TV, "But out in the real world we're faced with ugly choices..."

"Who sent you?" Thor inquired, his hand tightening on the handle of his hammer. There was a short mechanical winding sound, and then my dad's voice was echoing in the room.

" _I see a suit of armour around the world..._ "

"Ultron..." Bruce realised, his face contorting into an expression I didn't quite know how to label. Horror? Disgust? _Guilt?_

"In the flesh..." Ultron confirmed, then seemed to get confused. "Or-? No, not yet... Not this... _chrysalis_..." it muttered, holding up its ruined arms. "But I'm ready. I'm on a mission..."

"What mission?" Maria Hill asked, her voice tight with mistrust, and carefully hidden fear.

"Peace in our time." It deadpanned, before firing a bolt at us. I was quick to retaliate, sending a white-hot ball of energy at Ultron. That's when everything went to hell. More robots crashed up through the glass, vaulting over the railings, and heading straight for us. I fired quick pulses at them, just enough to freeze them in place while their systems rebooted: magic and tech didn't mix.

I saw Dr Helen Cho get flung away, crashing through a pane of glass, landing on a lower level, and Bruce was quick to dive after her. One of the Legionnaire bots grabbed the sceptre and took to the air. Natasha began firing at it from her place behind the bar, but the bullets were doing nothing.

"Steve!" I yelled, pointing at the bot. Steve didn't waste time: he charged for it, pushing off of the sofa to get better height. He latched his arms round its neck, and clung to its back, trying to bring it down. I was distracted, however, when a beam of energy shot past my right shin, searing the front of it. I buckled, and hit the floor hard.

"Evie!" my dad shouted, before the robot he was hanging onto shorted out, and collapsed, dumping him down the stairs. I shrieked, as the white hot pain flashed through my leg, punching me in the middle of my spine, making my stomach roll sickeningly. There were still the sounds of battle, but it seemed like it was drawing to a close. I was still in too much pain to be able to concentrate enough to heal myself, but I doubted I was skilled enough to heal this calibre of injury.

"I thought you were supposed to be keeping yourself out of trouble..?" a silken voice crooned, and I stilled, the pain shoved to the back of my mind as shock took its place. A large, cold hand tangled with mine, and I tasted that all too familiar magical signature.

"Loki..." I breathed, as the fabric of my leg and heart began to stitch itself back together.

"The very same," he breathed, before his wintry lips were placed on mine.


	4. Four

**_Four_**

"Well, that was dramatic..." Ultron mused, as he paced, gesturing wildly. Loki helped me to my feet, wrapping a protective arm around my waist and reeling me close to him. "I'm sorry... I know you mean well, you just didn't make it through... You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to _change_... How can humanity be saved if it's not allowed to... evolve..? Look at these... these _puppets_..."

Ultron crushed the head of one of the defeated bots he had picked up, and let it drop to the floor.

"There's only one path to peace... The Avengers' extinction."

Thor hurled Mjolnir at Ultron, and he fell apart, the pieces of his body scattered on the floor by the elevator. His disembodied voice floated through the room, sending chills racking down my spine.

"I had strings, but now I'm free... There are no strings on me..."

"Freedom is life's great lie," Loki muttered, glaring at the tattered robot. I sighed, and rubbed absently at the still tingly skin along my right shin.

"Loki..."

We turned, to see the rest of the team standing next to Thor, who had Mjolnir in hand, and was staring at Loki. He sighed, and let me go, holding his arms out with his wrists pressed together, as if waited to be shackled.

"Do what you will, brother. Odin knows I deserve-" He was cut off mid rant, however, when Thor stepped forwards, and pulled Loki into a crushing hug, letting Mjolnir drop to the floor.

"I thought you dead..." he mumbled, his voice tight. "I held you as you died, brother. How-?"

Loki cleared his throat, looking rather uncomfortable, and Thor released him, beaming, although he looked like he was about to cry.

"It was an illusion," Loki explained, drawing me back to him. I stared up at him, my mouth open, and my brows furrowed as he continued speaking. "I staged the whole thing. It was necessary to gain some freedom. I had to find a way back to Midgard, and I wouldn't be doing that from a cell."

"So you faked... the _entire_ thing..?!" I confirmed, my hands balling into fists. There was a stagnant silence in which I heard Loki gulp, and several people stop breathing.

"Now Evie, love..." he began, sounding rather nervous. I cut him off, stepping away from him. I paced in a small area, my hands gripping the hair at my temples in an attempt to calm the raging headache that was forming.

"With all due respect, Reindeer Games," Dad started, stepping forward with a disapproving frown on his face. "You put my girl through Hell, and-!"

"Ha!" I scoffed, hands dropping as I whirled to face Loki again. "That's an understatement! After that dream, I fell to pieces. And then when Thor turned up to confirm it, I lost it... totally! I locked myself away... I turned fucking _catatonic_! And you have the gall to ' _now Evie, love_ ' me?!"

"Evie," he snapped, striding forward, and grabbing my wrists with his large smooth hands. "I will forever hate myself for doing that to you. But it was necessary. Your reaction had to be real, if the All-Father were to look down here and see for himself. I can only apologise for the abysmal way I acted."

At this, Loki dropped to the floor, clasping my hands in his, resting his forehead against the backs of my hands.

"I will spend the rest of my eternity grovelling on my knees if it would but secure your forgiveness. I know that such an act would be foolish, but rest assured, I would do anything for you, Evelyn. Even leave, if you truly-!"

I cut him off, falling to my knees and hugging him tightly. He seemed shocked for a second, but quickly returned the embrace, his strong, lean arms closing around me.

"You are _never_ leaving me again..." I muttered, pressing my face to the crook of his neck, and inhaling greedily. Ice and parchment filled my nose, and my entire body relaxed.

"Never..." he agreed, kissing the top of my head.

After I had left Loki in my room to shower and change, I headed back into one of the smaller rooms on the lab floor, where the team was digging around for news of Ultron, Strucker, or any unusual HYDRA activity. I walked up to my dad (wearing gray sweatpants, a blue cotton tank, and a large gray hoodie I had nicked from Clint), who was being shown a tablet with a picture of a dead body, slumped by a blood-stained wall.

"What's this?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"A message," Steve said, glancing at me gravely. "Ultron killed Strucker."

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Dad snarked, his brows drawing together slightly.

"This is a smokescreen." Nat put in confidently. "Why send a message when you've just given a speech?"

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss." Steve mused, looking down at the gory picture once more.

"Yeah, I bet he..." Natasha trailed off, frowning at the computer monitor before cursing heatedly in Russian. **"** Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased."

I glanced at a manila folder on the desk, and lift it into the air with the flick of a finger.

"Not everything.

The team was standing around desks, feverishly flicking through the meagre physical info we had. Loki had turned up a few minutes into the search in 'casual' Asgardian wear, and was helping me rifle through a few sheets of paper. I mused out loud, eyes scanning the page I held.

"Known associates... Well, Strucker had a lot of friends."

"...These people are all horrible." Bruce said, frowning in disgust at what he was reading. My dad suddenly stepped closer to Bruce, glaring at a picture in the scientist's hands.

"Wait... I know that guy."

Bruce passed my dad the photo, and I sidled up next to him, eyes widening in recognition.

"From back in the day. He operates off the African coast: black market arms,"

I noticed the glare Steve shot my dad, and I straight away went on the defensive, speaking at the same time as Dad.

"There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything!"

"Ulysses Klaue is about as dodgy as they come: Dad would never-!"

"He was talking about finding something new," my dad interrupted, shooting me a quick look. "A game changer; it was all very 'Ahab'."

Loki stepped up, and examined the picture of Klaue. His eyes were drawn to the back of his neck, and a pale finger landed on the glossed piece of paper.

"This."

"Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it-" my dad stammered, before being cut off swiftly.

"No, those are tattoos," Loki indicated several other blotchy marks on his neck, before coming back to the raised symbol. "This is a brand."

"How would you..." I trailed off, eyes widening as they flitted over Loki's smooth skin. "Where-?!"

"Hush..." he breathed, hugging me close with one cool arm. "Nothing that lasted, I promise. It was in the past..."

I nodded, and pulled away when Bruce started tapping furiously on a keyboard, identifying the mark on his neck using a computer aided software.

"Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way..."

"What dialect?" Steve asked, looking over at us, trying to read the screen from where he stood.

"Wakanada...? Wa...Wa...Wakanda." Bruce stuttered, finally reading the right name. I blanched, and glanced worriedly at my dad.

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..."

"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" Steve inquired, cocking a blond eyebrow.

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?"

My dad and I shared a look, before his eyes turned to Steve's shield, lying on the table. I beat him to the punch though, turning to look Bruce in the eye.

"The strongest metal on Earth."

The Captain was the next to speak up.

"Where is this guy now?"

The jet touched down on the edge of a thick forest, facing the deserted shipping depot ahead of us. Before we split up, I pulled Loki to one side, and began to speak in quiet rushed tones.

"Listen, the others think it's best if you wait here with Bruce while we go inside. I don't personally agree but-"

"Alright."

"-there's nothing I can really do, and-"

"Evie."

"-again, I'm really sor-!"

"Evie!"

I looked up, startled, to find Loki looking at me with a slightly amused expression.

"I said it's fine. Go in there, do what you must, and make sure you come out alive. I don't trust the witch twins, and the robot even less. Be careful, Evie."

"I will," I promised, giving him a quick kiss. "Don't aggravate Bruce, please. I don't want a repeat of New York."

" _I_ don't want a repeat of New York," he scowled, wincing as he rubbed his chest. "That damn brute slammed me into the concrete more times than I can-!"

"Okay, Lokes, I get it!" I giggled, shaking my head. He cocked his head, and raised a brow.

"Lokes?"

"I-"

"Evie! We need to go!" Steve called, beckoning me over. I waved in conformation at him, then turned back to Loki, hugging him.

"I'll see you later."

"I'll look after her brother," Thor promised quietly, appearing out of nowhere. They locked gazes for a few tense seconds, before Loki nodded, and released me. Thor held out his hand to me, and I took it, taking a steadying breath as he drew me into a one armed hug, whirling Mjolnir faster and faster with his right hand. "Ready, Lady Evelyn?"

"As I'll ever be, Prince Thor," I teased, rolling my eyes, before fixing them on the clouds above. "Let's fly."


	5. Five

**_Five_**

"It's a thing with me. Stark is- he's a sickness!"

Thor, Steve, my dad and I dropped down from the roof, and I glared at the two people beside Ultron, who had been dubbed the Witch Twins: Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.

"Ah, Junior, you're gonna break your old man's heart."

"If I have to..." Ultron deadpanned, eyes flickering between Dad and I.

"We don't have to break anything," Thor said calmly, not taking his eyes off of Ultron.

"Clearly you've never made an omelette."

"Damn it!" I cursed, stamping my foot, and glaring at the seven foot robot in front of me. "He beat me by one second!"

"Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark. It's what, comfortable? Like old times?" the boy (Pietro) said, staring intently.

"This was never my life..." Dad murmured, and I could imagine his eyes softening behind his metal face-plate.

"You two can still walk away from this," I urged, my eyes flickering first between the twins, then them and Ultron.

"Oh, we will." Ultron assured us, his bright red eyes now landing on me. I felt goose-bumps erupt down my arms, and my eyes narrowed, stance shifting subtly.

"I know you've suffered-"

"Uuughh!" Ultron groaned theatrically. "Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but..."

"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it," Thor tried to persuade, stepping forward slightly.

"I think you're confusing peace with quiet..." the giant robot mused sarcastically. I was starting to really hate this A.I.

"Yuh-huh. What's the Vibranium for?"

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!" The Legion appeared out of nowhere, sending Steve, Thor and I flying. As I got to my feet, I saw Ultron and my dad blasting up through the ceiling, leaving us three alone.

Power immediately crackled in my hands, and I sent high energy pulses at each Legionnaire, their programs shorting out before Ultron zipped in remotely and rebooted them. After realising that my energy bolts weren't doing much but slowing the enemy down fractionally, I began to take more time and power, focusing intently on each robot, and telekinetically pulling them apart.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the Enhanced with the witchy voo-doo sneaking up behind Thor, and sending a cloud of red mist into his head. I took in the fact that Steve walked over to check on him, and satisfied that he was fine, I turned to carry on fighting.

Klaue's lackeys had joined in by this time, so I erected a few blue energy shields, so that I could protect myself and others from any gunfire. I saw Clint and Natasha fighting at opposite ends of the warehouse, and smiled to myself. These people were going down.

I was just about to move to higher ground, and pick off people from above, when a prickling appeared my mind. I whirled about, and made out the back of the Wanda girl disappearing. I was quickly filled with a sense of rage, and I reached out for her mentally, hooking onto her conscious with an iron grasp. I still felt the prickling which refused to let up, but while I was conscious of it, I knew I could fight the effects.

I sensed more than heard Wanda as she cried out, and collapsed to the floor as my hold on her mind tightened. I trawled through her memory and conscious, quickly ascertaining what exactly her powers consisted of. I saw faint images of Ultron's plans, and was just moving onto what she did to Thor and how to reverse it, when something flashed past me, yanking me along by the arm at such a speed that I was thrown clear across the warehouse, my shoulder popping clean out of its socket.

I crashed into the wall headfirst, and in the briefest moments of clarity I had, I knew I wouldn't be able to heal fast enough to stay conscious. I quickly built a glowing sphere of magic around me to protect myself, and then finally closed my eyes, succumbing to the blackness as the prickling increased, and invaded my head completely.

 ** _"Dad?" I call, as I walk into the briefing room. Odin steps out in front of me, his spear held tightly in his left hand, full golden armour gleaming brilliantly._**

 ** _"Your time will come, mortal." he says gravely, just as he had when I went to Asgard to confront him. Then he suddenly diverges from the speech I remember. "Events were set in motion, and now the consequences will be known."_**

 ** _"What do you mean?!" I yell, but he just stares at me, before melting into the air. I run across the room, and dart down the corridor, yelling out for anyone; everyone. I reach the first body within a minute._**

 ** _Agent Maria Hill lies slumped over a crate, blood trickling from her mouth, her glassy eyes staring unseeingly down the hall ahead of me. I gulp down deep breaths of air, and keep running, the hall stretching out in front of me forever, indefinitely curving to the left. I pass body after body, only stopping long enough to discern their identity, and how they died._**

 ** _Nick Fury; Clint; Natasha; Steve; Bruce..._**

 ** _I finally come to a short, straight stretch of corridor, and I tear along it without hesitating, quickly emerging into a large, circular room. I recognise it all too well, and my breathing stops, heart rate picking up._**

 ** _I look around the containment room, and as my eyes land on Phil Coulson, I relax. He hunches in the shadows, looking around cautiously for something, but I'm not worried about that right now. I take a step forwards, and call out,_**

 ** _"Phil!"_**

 ** _He whirls to face me, eyes wide, and mouth opening to say something. But he is interrupted by a silky voice._**

 ** _"Found you..."_**

 ** _Phil gasps, and staggers a step forward, hands moving to his chest. I seem to move in slow motion: my eyes slowly travel to the front of his fresh white shirt, and my mouth slowly drops open as red blooms across the stark fabric. Phil coughs, and blood bursts from his lips, staining his chin, and splattering on the ground below us._**

 ** _"PHIL!" I scream, lurching forward. But it seems as though I am a spectator to what is going on here. I see my arm reach for him in slow motion, Phil drops slowly, revealing a maniacally grinning Loki behind him, eyes burning bright blue, crimson staining the blade of his sceptre._**

 ** _He holds it up to point at me, and all motion I was achieving stops. My body is frozen, but I am still aware, still able to look around, feel my breathing and heart rate escalate. I watch, horrified, as Loki constructs an illusion in front of the doors to the cylindrical cell, watch as Thor barrels into the room, and right through the illusion, being locked in by the real Loki._**

 ** _But instead of dropping the cell as he did last time, he walks up to the glass, and places his hand on it. I watch as blue rapidly creeps along his hand, the red of his eyes reflect off the glass. Frost begins to gather on the glass around his hand, slowly but surely encompassing the whole surface of the cell._**

 ** _I see Thor's breath becoming visible, small icicles begin to form from the condensation that now coats the ceiling of the cell. Ice blankets the floor, and the glass becomes harder and harder to see through. For some reason, Mjolnir has disappeared, and so Thor is left to hammer empty handed on the glass, and beg for Loki to stop, for me to come to his aid._**

 ** _But am I frozen, and Thor is starting to reach the same state. From what little I can make out, his skin is taking on a bluish tint, and he shivers violently. The glass now frosts over completely white, and all visual aid I have is eliminated. After a few more minutes of begging, roaring, and pounding, everything suddenly falls still. I don't need the use of my magic to know that Thor has perished: that he lies stiff and still inside that cell, dead at the hands of his brother._**

 ** _Loki finally removes his hand, but his Frost Giant appearance doesn't fade._**

 ** _Suddenly my dad comes charging into the room, contained in his Mark 42 Iron Man suit, his repulsors already shooting blasts at Loki. He doesn't even flinch: he lifts his hand, constructing a wall of ice to stop the blasts from reaching him, and flicks the same hand again, conjuring a giant icicle, and sending it hurtling for my dad's chest._**

 ** _It slams through his chest with ease, and with so much force that he flies across the room, before being pegged to the wall, the icicle melting and warping as his blood gushes over it. This whole time I have been trying to scream, cry, move, do anything, but I am still frozen._**

 ** _Loki now blinks, not having taken his eyes from me, and I am free. I drop to the floor, tears now leaking down my cheeks, as I scream, sob, and bang the floor with my fists. But I make no noise. The only noise in the whole room, the whole blasted Helicarrier is the sound of Loki's boots on the metal grating as he makes his way closer._**

 ** _He crouches in front of me, and tilts my head up with one blue finger. I shriek, and try to jerk away as his icy skin sends a flash burn of cold across, and deep into, my skin. I seem to be frozen again though; my knees glued to the floor, arms stuck in place, chin joined to his fingertip. I can wriggle slightly, and do so to the best of my ability, suffering in silence while the frost races across my skin._**

 ** _"Foolish mortal," he hisses, his eyes flaring a brighter red. "You thought you could influence me..._** **change** ** _me... That I could be redeemed. I lied to you, and you believed me, you silly, ignorant chit! I am Loki of Jotunheim, God of Mischief and Lies! I will not be swayed!" His voice rises to a painful decibel, and tiny flecks of spit hit my face._**

 ** _"Why..?!" I manage to choke out, my lips ripping as the effort of speaking separates the ice sealing my lips. Blood pours down my chin, and into my mouth, freezing into thick, crusty rivers almost instantly._**

 ** _"You will know why..." he promises lowly, suddenly standing. He flips his sceptre in one hand, and places the tip of the blade on my forehead. I look up at him, my body now a numb, burning hunk of frozen flesh. His skin is back to normal, but something else is wrong with his eyes now. They are a bright lilac colour, a mad flame burning there._**

 ** _"This is the end, mortal." His voice is deep, powerful, rolling around us. He gestures with his left hand, and my eyes flick side-to side, taking in the vast expanse of space around us. We are now on a small platform of rock floating through the cosmos. Planets and entire solar systems are disintegrating around us, all of the cosmic debris being funnelled down, and out of my sight line. I look back to Loki, to see a huge alien in his place, purple scaly skin, and golden armour, a golden gauntlet cloaking his left hand. He holds the sceptre in his bare right hand, still held at my head._**

 ** _"And finally, the cosmos is mine..." he murmurs, the fire burning more brightly in his eyes as they take in the destruction. His gaze lands on me again, and he almost seems sorry. "It is almost sad, the lengths you humans go to protect what is not yours; to protect what you will inevitably lose. This is your end. Any last words?"_**

 ** _My mouth is completely covered now, and so I just glare at the creature in front of me. He chuckles fondly, while his hand slowly tightens on the sceptre._**

 ** _"A shame: such a pretty mortal. Say hello to your little god for me when you wake."_**

 ** _And he plunges the blade into my head._**


	6. Six

**_Six_**

I was aware of warmth, when I finally woke up. I lay on a soft bed, with even softer duvet laid over me, while I stared blankly at the ceiling. Something cold hesitantly touched my hand, and images rushed through my mind. Blood, ice, and death.

I twisted away, and scrambled to get as far from the cold as possible. In the process I managed to fall off the bed, landing with a loud thump on the floor, snarled in the bedclothes. I cursed and flailed, trying unsuccessfully to get out of the fluffy white cover. The same cold hands were present on my skin again, carefully helping me free of the duvet.

As soon as I was free, I was on my feet and backing away from him. I hit the wall, and stayed there, eyes locked on his emerald ones, hands clenching into fits at my sides. He stayed where he was, hands outstretched, palms forwards in a peaceful gesture. Loki's eyes were full of sad acceptance, and I knew that he had seen.

"Evie," he began in a broken whisper. "I would never..." He stopped speaking as I closed my eyes, covering my face with my hands. I stayed like that for a minute, firmly convincing myself that none of it happened, that it wasn't real.

"I'm sorry." I breathed from between my hands. "I know you wouldn't... couldn't..." I sighed in exasperation, and let my hands drop from my face, eyes still firmly closed, trying to banish the distressing images from my memory. "That Russian bitch fucked with my head, _so hard_."

"Not Russian."

My head snapped up, and I saw Natasha and Bruce standing in the doorway, looking at me worriedly. I didn't need to feel their mental state: I knew they were both about as jacked up as I was. Yet here they stood, trying to ascertain whether or not I was alright. I smiled at Nat's comment, and walked forwards, to stand in front of Loki.

He watched me approach, careful not to make a move. I reached out slowly, and smoothed away the frown lines on his brow. I traced down his temple, and rested my hand deliberately against the side of his face, trying push away the feeling I got to run and hide.

"I'm okay." I said evenly, and then opened my arms. He pulled me close to him, tucking my head against his neck in a protective gesture.

"I'm sorry." he whispered to me, and his cool breath made me shiver, for two very conflicting reasons. We pulled away after a while, smiling softly, and more at ease. I looked over his shoulder at the two still in the hall, and I beckoned them in.

I hugged Natasha first, using the time of close contact to reach out, and smooth over some mental stress and injuries. I was certain Natasha knew what I was trying to do, but didn't draw any attention to it. I pulled away from Nat, and then urged Bruce into a hug. I noticed Loki cringe when Bruce walked past him, automatically reaching for his ribs. I frowned, but decided to follow it up later.

When our little hug session was through with, I decided it would be nice to be up to speed.

"So... Where in fuck's name are we?"

"Auntie Evie, where's Grandpa Tony?"

"Not sure kiddo. I'll find out for you in a minute."

Laci giggled and ran off, and I turned to look incredulously at Clint.

"What?"

" _Grandpa_ Tony? I'm sure he was fucking chuffed to hear that!"

"Language!" Clint hissed, flapping his hands and looking around for the kids.

"You're worse than Cap," I mumbled. Even though I wasn't personally on the raid, I already knew what had happened. Sure, word-of-mouth was good enough, but sometimes it paid off to have Jarvis record the footage from Avengers' missions.

"Tony was pretty upset. He went outside to sulk, and take out his frustrations on some trees," Clint said, abruptly switching subject.

"But what was he-?"

"ARGH!"

Clint and I shot to our feet, and raced into the next room to find both of his children climbing all over Loki, who was vigorously rubbing his scalp.

"What happened?" I asked, panicking while my eyes darted over everything.

"The little wen-!"

I cut him off with a look, and he cleared his throat, glaring at me, and then Laci.

"The little woman pulled my hair. Extremely hard!"

"His hair's pretty!" she giggled, shimmying down his leg and landing hard on the floor. "It's longer than Auntie Nat's!"

"It's not _pretty_ ," Loki griped, placing Dylan on the floor next to his sister. "It's luxurious! Perfect! Glorious! Magnifi-!"

"It's pretty," I interrupted, agreeing with Laci as I scooped her up and stuck my tongue out at Loki. "Now, how about you go upstairs, and go read a book with Dylan?"

"Okay!" she agreed, and I put her down, after pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "Auntie Evie, can Daddy come too?"

"Of course he can!" I said brightly, ignoring Clint's look of plea. The children squealed in delight, before quickly grabbing Clint's hands, and pulling him out of the room, and somewhere upstairs. "Whew!"

"You're good with them," Loki noted casually, sitting down on the soft couch. I plopped down next to him, and leaned back into the sofa.

"I guess," I shrugged, and squeaked lightly when Loki lifted me up, and curled me up against him.

"Don't." he pled fervently. I frowned, and lifted my head to look at him.

"Don't what?"

"Don't distance yourself from me," he explained softly. "I've been without your touch for a full two years. Don't deny me this when I finally have you back. Alright?"

"Alright," I whispered, shocked by the note of desperation in his voice. So we just cuddled on the couch, eyes closed, just lost in the feel of each other. There was still a quiet nudging in the back of my mind, flashing everything the vision had showed me, and telling me that he was bad news; that I should get away while I had the chance.

But that part was fading more every minute I was in his soothing presence. There was a sacred familiarity in the feel of his flawless skin on mine, his wintry breath racing through my hair. So I just relaxed, and let myself feel the most at home I had in a lifetime.

"What's this about, Dad?" I asked, while I paced nervously up and down the kitchen. Nobody answered me, and I huffed, my pacing picking up speed. Loki quickly reached out, and spun me into him, his arms wrapping around my middle, and keeping me still.

"Love-"

When a man we all thought was dead walked into the room, I tore out of Loki's arms, and dashed over to hug the man.

"NICHOLAS FURY YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I whisper-yelled, so as not to wake the kids upstairs. I hugged Nick for a full minute, before letting him go. "So how have you been, Patches? I like the new look: leather always looked too intimidating on you. I-!"

Loki waved his hand, and I fell silent. I glared, and removed the spell, stalking over to him, and lightly punching his arm. This brought Fury's attention to Loki, and everyone in the room tensed. They shared a loaded look, before taking a few steps towards each other. They suddenly grasped hands, and had a firm, friendly handshake. I stood there, mouth gaping while they grinned at each other.

"Director Fury, nice to see you again. Under much different circumstances, might I add," Loki said, nodding his head graciously.

"You too, Mr Odinson. Then again, world domination does put a dampener on most things."

"Laufeyson. But indeed it does."

I still just stood there, looking between the two as they finally parted. Seeing that I wouldn't receive an explanation, I just shut my mouth, shook my head, and took a seat in a kitchen chair.

"Down to business," Nick started, seating himself in a chair at the kitchen table. "Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked, looking intently at his former Director.

"Ah. He's easy to track," Fury said snidely, face full of dislike for the rogue A.I. "He's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."

"He still going after launch codes?" my dad asked, crossing his arms while his brows tightened slightly.

"Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway." Fury informed us.

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare. This guy's a noob." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that."

"NEXUS?" Steve asked at large, looking completely flummoxed. Sometimes him being so out of touch with the modern era was infuriating. Still, most people today still wouldn't have clue what the NEXUS was.

"It's the world Internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there: fastest access on Earth." Bruce explained, rubbing at his left temple as though he had a headache. He probably did to be honest. God knew I had a raging migraine right now.

"So what'd they say?" Clint asked.

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed."

"By who?" I asked, suddenly sitting up straight.

"Parties unknown."

I deflated at Nick's answer, and began picking at my fingernails again.

"Do we have an ally?" Natasha wondered quietly, her posture as perfect as always. I was slightly jealous, but realised that my back would probably ache something awful after sitting so straight for so long.

"Ultron's got an enemy, that's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is." Fury divulged, meeting every one of our gazes.

"I might need to visit Oslo, find our 'unknown'." Dad mused, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that." Natasha said quietly, looking intently at Patches.

"I do; I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream of. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." Natasha teased, grinning slyly at Steve.

"You know what, Romanoff?!"

"So what _does_ he want?" Loki asked, speaking up for the first time since greeting Fury.

"To become better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies." Steve said, looking evenly at Loki. It amazed me how calm the rest of the Avengers were around Loki, seeing as how he tried to take over the world only a few years ago.

"Person bodies. The human form is inefficient: biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it." my dad added, looking between Steve, Loki, then around at all of us.

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed." Natasha snarked, and I sniggered, agreeing with her.

"They don't need to be protected, they need to evolve," Bruce said slowly, a resigned awareness dawning on his face. "Ultron's going to evolve."

"How?" Fury wondered, looking blankly between Bruce and my dad. I cursed loudly, and smacked my forehead lightly on the dinner table. I sat up again, and then looked worriedly at Dad.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"


	7. Seven

**_Seven_**

"So, the plan is to just go in there, and start hacking nuclear launch codes?"

"Yep," Dad said swiftly, not even sparing me a glance as Happy touched down our personal private jet not far from the NEXUS Hub. We moved straight from the jet into a car with blacked out windows, and Dad spent most of the ride muttering to himself, and fiddling with the sleeves of his blazer.

I smoothed out my own deep emerald suit skirt, making sure that the white chiffon blouse was tucked in neatly. My dad had stressed the importance of this seeming like an official visit, and he even convinced me to wear an impractical pair of white heels. Why _white?!_

We pulled up outside the official looking building, and Happy opened the door for me, helping me out onto the concrete. I gave him a small smile, and made sure my hair was still contained in its elegant chignon.

"Ready?" he asked, sliding his red shades on. He held out his arm, and I hooked my hand into the crook of his arm.

"So ready," I replied, flashing him a teasing grin. He led us into the NEXUS Internet Hub, and a group of people were already waiting to receive us. They babbled excitedly to my father and I, but I just let him handle it, instead running over every decryption and hacking technique I had ever exploited. It had been ages since I had last done any sort of serious computer work, and I just hoped I wasn't too rusty.

We walked into the large room, and on the small circular landing were two computers, each with its own keyboard. Dad and I got set up in front of each one, and I took a small amount of time getting used to the keyboard. Once I got started there would be no room for typing error.

"A hacker who's faster than Ultron?" my dad said, partly to himself, partly to the three lingering employees. "He could be anywhere. And as this is the centre of everything, I'm just a guy looking for a needle in the world's biggest haystack."

"How do you find it?" the blonde woman at his elbow asked in a heavy Norwegian accent.

"Pretty simple. You bring a magnet."

"Oh, I'm decrypting nuclear codes and you don't want me to!" I muttered in a sing-song voice, fingers flying over the keys, eyes glued to the screen. "Come... And... Get me."

I typed away, while my dad used the second computer to scope out the response, and occasionally conduct his own decryptions as far away from me (inside the database) as he could get. I was being shut down almost immediately, although in the beginning I nearly managed to get a couple past him. I sensed a familiar energy, and typed faster, leaning closer to the screen as my eyes tightened.

"He's changing the codes almost faster than you can start typing. He's learning exactly what you're gonna do..." Dad muttered, and something suddenly popped into place inside my head. I made a really risky move, and stopped decrypting in favour of trying to piece the scattered mainframe back together.

"Evie, what are you-?"

"Shh!" I hissed, hardly blinking as lines of text and code scrolled over the screen. After watching the screens intently for a minute, Dad finally realised what I was doing.

"Oh, you little genius..." he breathed, and I smiled absently, finishing the last of my recovery mission with a flourish. I typed a quick message on screen, and waited with bated breath for a response.

'Hello, Jarvis.'

It took a little while, but the two sentences I received back were all the reward I needed.

' _Hello, Miss Evie. How was your day?_ '

After making sure Jarvis was 100% operational, I was quick to check on the state of the team in Korea. I found an avalanche of Korean news articles, and figured out with the help of Jarvis that Clint was heading back to the Tower, Nat was M.I.A, and Steve was stranded in Seoul with the Enhanceds.

I convinced Dad to head back to the Tower, and let me head to Korea to pick up Steve and the two Maximoff's. I walked some ways into the woods once I had waved Dad and Happy off, and activated Tiny.

I watched as the miniscule fighter unfolded into the familiar jet, similar to the Quinjet, but not as bulky, and slightly faster. I headed inside, and the first thing I did was kick off my heels. I then moved to the controls, pulling a set of headphones on, flipping on the engines, and sliding into the plush leather seat.

"Friday, I need you to set us on course for Seoul, Korea, and hook into Rogers' comm. Lock in on his location, and land us in the nearest available space."

"Of course, Evelyn. Would you like to engage top speed?" Friday's cool Irish tones filled my ears, and I forever praised my father for listening to me when I suggested a Welsh or Irish accent for the next A.I. I always found them so soothing.

"Yes Friday. Get me there ASAP."

"Done." Friday's answer was immediate, and I relaxed into the seat, waiting for the minute I could connect to Steve's communicator. We had only been in the air for five minutes before I got a confirmation from Friday. "Mr Rogers is on the line, Evelyn."

"Evie? Thank God. Have you heard from anyone else?"

"Dad left Oslo about ten minutes ago, and he's heading back to the Tower now. I figured out that it was Jarvis who was protecting the nuclear codes, and I managed to piece him back together. I trawled through the Korean news, and Clint's en route as we speak.

"I haven't heard anything from Nat, but Clint and Dad will be on it when they get back. I'm on my way to your location now; ETA 45 minutes. I'm hoping that Friday can connect me to Clint so that I can let him know what's going on. Are the Enhanced giving you any grief?"

"No, we're clear over here. Thank you, Evie. I'll see you shortly."

"Roger that, Cap. Mana out."

I cut off the comm connection, to find Friday already trying to pin down Clint.

"Evelyn, the comm link is requesting authentication. Shall I-?"

"Use 'Mana', capital M," I replied at once, and a few seconds later Clint's voice was coming over the line.

"Evie, what's the problem?"

"Nothing Clint, just clueing you in. Dad's heading back to the Tower with Jarvis: he was our mystery hacker. I don't have anything on Nat, but I can get Friday on that while I'm heading to Steve. I'm going to pick up Cap and the Enhanceds, then head back to the Tower as quickly as I can fly."

"Great, Evie. I'm heading over East Europe now, so I'll be at the Tower by the time you've got to Steve. Let me know if you get anything on Nat."

"Of course I will. See you later, Hawkeye."

"Baby Stark."

"That nickname..!" I griped under my breath, and I heard his responding laugh before we cut the connection. I put Friday on the task of searching through anything she could get her (figurative) hands on for Nat, before I leaned back in the chair, and tried to get some well-needed rest.

"Evelyn, we are landing in Seoul."

I snapped awake, and yawned widely, noticing the light throbbing in my head. I isolated the source to a pin headache from the chignon, but before I had time to unwind it, the plane jolted slightly, signalling our landing.

I jumped to my feet, and moved to the back of the jet, hitting the button for the door release. The doors slowly cranked open, and I made out Steve and Wanda Maximoff jogging for the jet. I was just about to question the absence of Pietro, when he blurred into being in front of me.

"Stark," he deadpanned, a light sneer on his face. I pulled my hair free of its fancy up-do, before crossing my arms over my chest, cocking my hip to one side.

"Maximoff," I responded just as emotionlessly. Steve and the girl had reached us by this time, and were watching the stand-off with tense eyes.

"Nice toy," he said, eyes flicking over the plane's interior.

"Nice Reebok's," I quipped, glancing down at his running shoes before turning on my heels and moving to the front of the plane, shutting the doors behind the trio.

"At least I have shoes!"

"Mine are $2,000 Prada's, currently sitting five metres to my left." I saw him zip over to said shoes, picking one up and inspecting the brand inside the sole of the high heel. He snorted, unimpressed, before dropping it. I reached out with my telekinesis and stopped it in mid-air, slowly setting it back on the ground. I put the jet in the air, sent a quick message back to Dad to let him know we were on the way, before pushing back slightly from the console.

"I will thank you for coming to collect us, even if my brother will not," The soft, heavily accented voice came from behind me, and I turned around to see Wanda standing there, looking slightly uncomfortable. Steve was sitting on a metal bench taking inventory of his various scrapes and bruises while Pietro sat in a corner, glaring over at me.

"You're welcome. Least I could do, anyway."

"You are Stark's daughter, yes?"

"I am. Evelyn Stark. And?" I wondered, a slight hint of irritation creeping into my voice.

"You look very alike."

"You do. You are... how do you Americans say..? 'Hot'?" Pietro smirked at me, and I scoffed.

"First you antagonise me, now you try to flirt with me. Maybe mood-swings are a part of your powers. Either way, I'm currently in a very stable relationship with a very powerful, very over-protective Norse God. Fast Mexican mice aren't on my to-do list.

"Speaking of: _you_ Speedy Gonzales, still have to apologise for dislocating my arm. It was very painful and still isn't sitting quite right." I rolled my left shoulder for emphasis, and was very pleased when it cracked loudly.

"Then you must apologise for causing my sister harm," he retorted stubbornly.

"Then she needs to apologise for hitting me with that voodoo crap!"

There was a moment of tense silence, before Wanda spoke up quietly.

"I'm sorry using my powers on you..."

"I'm sorry for rifling through your head like that. It was rude, and most likely very painful." I said easily, smiling at the girl. She returned the smile, and then we both turned to look expectantly at Pietro. He huffed, and rolled his eyes, glaring at the ceiling while he spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"Apologise properly," Wanda demanded, crossing her arms firmly. He muttered under his breath, and I made out something like 'twelve minutes older'. "Properly, Pietro!" He glared at her, before fixing warm brown eyes on me.

"I'm sorry for yanking you away, which led to the dislocating of your shoulder. Better?"

"Much." Wanda beamed, and I chuckled quietly, turning around in my seat again. I heard Steve mumbling to himself, but wrote it off quickly, settling down into the seat and closing my eyes.

"Wake me when we get there!" I called out at large, and two voices answered with an 'okay': Wanda and Steve. Pietro stayed suspiciously silent, so I quickly programmed Friday to lock down the cockpit if he did anything shifty. Satisfied with my protected safety, I settled back down, and let my eyes slip closed.


	8. Eight

**_Eight_**

"Evelyn... Evelyn, we are at Stark Tower. Wake up..."

I sat up, eyes flashing open, grimacing when my neck clicked. I looked to my left, and saw Wanda standing there, looking at me warily.

"Hey, thanks. Ugh, I hate sleeping in chairs..."

I smiled at Wanda before getting out of my chair and stretching. I picked up my heels, made sure Tiny was shut down, before leading Wanda out of the plane.

We walked into the Tower from the Helipad, and I just had time to make out Steve and Pietro talking to someone, before that someone materialised in front of me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Hey Loki," I breathed, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Has anyone told you how deliciously tempting you look right now?" he asked in a silky smooth whisper, lips rushing over the skin of my neck. I shivered delicately, and drew back slightly.

"No, but I'm assuming you would have murdered anyone who had..."

"How did you know?" he smirked at me, and I just rolled my eyes, and turned him around to face the twins and Steve.

"Loki, meet Wanda and Pietro Maximoff; he's fast, and she's powerful. Maximoff's, meet Loki, prince of Asgard and Jotunheim, God of Lies and Mischief, failed conqueror of Midgard. That about cover everything?" I asked sarcastically, looking up at him. He pretended to think, before nodding.

"Just about."

"Great, well, let's head down to the labs. Follow me."

I walked across the room, and headed into the elevator, pressing the level for the labs, still barefoot. A tense silence reigned in the confined space, and I had to quash the urge to whistle a show-tune. After a minute the doors opened, and I lead our small group along the hallway, emerging in the lab in time to hear Bruce speaking.

"The genetic coding tower's at ninety-seven percent. You've got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."

"I'm gonna say this once-!"

"How about nonce?" my dad interrupted, glancing over at us, eyes landing on me. Before he could say anything, Steve was speaking again.

"Shut it down!"

"Nope, not gonna happen. Evie, you wanna give us a hand?"

"Sure." I walked over to the two, and Dad was quick to fill me in. I moved over to the computers and began typing, starting to upload Jarvis' schematic.

"You don't know what you're doing. Evie, stop."

"And you do? She's not in your head?" Bruce asked, gesturing at Wanda.

"I know you're angry-" Wanda got cut off.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade!" he gritted out, and I tensed instinctually, ready for a fight if one should break out.

"Banner, after everything that's happened-!"

"Which is nothing compared to what's coming-!"

"You don't know what's in there!"

"This isn't a game, alright?!"

"The creature-!"

I was suddenly, but gently, pulled away from the computers by my waist, and found myself standing next to Loki as a silvery blue blur zipped around the cradle, yanking all of the wires out. Pietro finally came to a stop, a thick cable in his left hand.

"No no, go on..." He dropped the cable, and looked in between Cap, Bruce and my dad, his eyebrows raised inquisitively. "You were saying?"

"I like him," I decided under my breath, feeling a new-found respect for the Sokovian speedster, even if I was angry at him for stopping the upload. There was suddenly the sound of a gunshot, and he went falling through the shattered glass panel he had been standing on.

"What, you didn't see that coming?" I heard Clint ask, and I sniggered, recognising the line from the HYDRA battle. Alarms began to blare on the computers, and I ran over, and began typing quickly as I said to my dad,

"I'm rerouting the upload."

Steve's shield came ripping past me, smashing into some of the computers and catching me hard on the hip. I grunted, and dropped to one knee, while my dad shot a blast at Steve using his Iron Man gauntlet. I staggered to my feet, and pressed a hand over my broken pelvic bone, pushing magic into the injury.

"Evelyn, are you alright?" Loki was next to me, a cold hand laid over mine.

"Fine: bit sore."

"Go ahead, piss me off..!" Bruce had restrained Wanda, and Clint had pulled himself up through the hole in the floor. Steve was sent back through a panel of glass by my dad, whose suit was clamping onto him piece by piece. Wanda sent a pulse of energy back at Bruce, who staggered away, before she turned around, and shot a bolt of red energy at him.

"Stop!" I yelled, throwing out my hands and holding them all in place. Thor skidded around the corner, and leaped on top of the cradle, summoning lightning and sending it into the head of the box. I dropped my hands, and everyone was free, gaping at Thor while I turned my eyes to the computer monitors. All of them were flashing red, showing 'POWER OVERLOAD', and I was sure everything was going to short out in the next few seconds.

Thor ceased the lightning, and gazed down at the cradle, slightly out of breath. There was a moment of tense silence, before he was blown backwards, the lid of the cradle blasting off. A red figure soared out, and crouched at the foot of the box. He stood slowly, examining his hands and the rest of his body, before looking around at us in slight shock.

His eyes fixed on Thor, and he flew forwards, but Thor grabbed him around the middle, and slung him out of the room. I quickly lifted myself into the air and sped after him, watching as he came to a halt in front of the large panelled windows which looked out upon the city.

Thor and Steve were quick to follow, and Thor held his hand out to the Captain, gesturing for him to wait. A gray spandex suit melted onto his body, and he turned around, floating over to where the rest of us now gathered, before alighting on the floor.

"I'm sorry, that was... odd. Thank you." He regarded Thor for a moment, before creating a golden cape for himself.

"Thor... You helped create this?" Steve asked, staring intently at the blond.

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its centre, is that." He pointed to the golden gem imbedded in the red dude's forehead, and I reached out, sensing its energy structure.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked, stepping forwards.

"It's the Mind Stone," I replied absently, vaguely remembering the short talk Loki and I had had in the Helicarrier while he was locked away.

"It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the Universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities." Loki continued, standing next to me and gazing at the golden gem.

"Then why would you-?"

"Because Stark is right," Thor interrupted, casting a searching glance at me, most likely questioning my knowledge of the Mind Stone.

"Oh, it's definitely the end times," Bruce said uncomfortably, looking at my dad. I smiled quickly, before falling back into seriousness.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."

"Not alone," the Vision said, walking forward a few steps.

"Why does your vision sound like Jarvis?" Steve wondered, and Dad stepped in, walking towards the Vision.

"We reconfigured Jarvis' matrix... to create something new."

"I think I've had my fill of 'new'..." Steve said gravely.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron."

"You're not?"

"I am not Ultron. I am not Jarvis, I am... _I am_."

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation," Wanda said, moving closer to the Vision.

"Look again."

"Her seal of approval means jack to me," Clint muttered, walking over to us.

"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone," Thor put in heatedly. "And they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side-!"

"Is it?" Steve snapped, looking intently at the Vision now. "Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple..."

"Well it better get real simple real soon..!" Clint pressed.

"I am on the side of life... Ultron isn't. He will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" my dad wondered.

"You."

"Where?" I asked sharply, my body tensing as the tension of the upcoming battle settled into my mind.

"Sokovia. He's got Nat there too," Clint informed us, and I let out a silent breath of relief.

"...If we're wrong about you, _if_ you're the monster that Ultron made you to be-"

"What will you do?" the Vision asked curiously, regarding Bruce calmly. No one spoke, so he took the opportunity. "I don't want to kill Ultron; he's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth... so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now, and not one of us can do it without the others.

"Maybe I am a monster; I don't think I'd know if I were one... I'm not what you are, and not what you intended, so there may be no way for you to trust me. But we need to go."

He offered Mjolnir to Thor, and a charged silence filled the room as we regarded the pair. Thor gingerly grasped Mjolnir's handle, staring at a spot on the floor as the Vision strode past him, a look of dubious confusion reigning on the Asgardian's face.

"Alright," he muttered uncomfortably, tapping Mjolnir in his palm few times. "Well done..." He clapped my dad on the shoulder, then followed the Vision out of the room, while the rest of us shared uneasy glances.

"3 minutes." Steve's voice broke the awkward moment, and we were all back in battle-mode within the blink of an eye. "Get what you need."

I squeezed Loki's hand reassuringly, before leading the Maximoff twins away from the others, and into a side room where they could suit up. And even though I knew we had a strong, seasoned team, along with the aid of the Vision, the Maximoff's, and the God of Lies and Trickery, one thought couldn't help but play on repeat in my head.

 _We are so not ready for this..._


	9. Nine

**_Nine_**

 _"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. Now that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia; they didn't. So our priority is getting them out..._

 _"All they want is to live their lives in piece, and that's not going to happen today; but we can do our best to protect them, and we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff. And we clear the field. Keep the fight between us..._

 _"Ultron thinks we're monsters, that we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right..."_

"Come on, let's go, move it!" I called, waving people along the streets, trying to keep a careful eye out for any children that might have been separated. So far, everything was going smoothly. Loki shimmered back into existence next to me, his golden armour glinting brilliantly even in the dull grey lighting.

"Approximately half of the city has been evacuated, and the rest are making good progress. All we need now is-"

He cut off, body tensing and his eyes narrowing.

"Loki, what-?"

Then I felt it. The slight tremors rocking through the ground, and the closer they got, the more they sounded like scrabblings, and scratchings, and-

A scream rent through the air, and the crowd surged forwards while the pavement began to crack open under their feet. I made out the robots crawling their way free of the concrete, and quickly used a surge of magic to push the civilians further down the street, while Loki began to target the metal beings.

It was simple to pull apart the robots with a combination of telekinesis and a short electrical burst, but the sheer numbers meant we had to work fast. Those at the furthest end of the street took into the air, just as I shredded the last one near me.

Loki appeared next to me again, hand already moving to cover a slice on my cheek that a flying piece of shrapnel had made. I pushed his hand away calmly, double-checking that the area was clear of civilians.

"We have to save our power, Loki. Leave it for something severe..."

"Ev-"

He was cut off again, when a shockwave punched up through the ground, practically knocking me off of my feet. Loki caught me just in time, and he held me upright as the ground beneath us began to hum and vibrate ever so slightly.

"Do you see..? The beauty of it..? The inevitability..?" The echoing voice of Ultron slithered between buildings, down back alleys, and crept through the very foundation of the city. "You rise, only to fall... You, Avengers; you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword, and the Earth will crack with your failure... Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me: it means nothing... When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

I shot Loki a confused, panic-filled glance before pressing on my ear-piece, and radioing in for my father.

"Dad, what's going on? What did Ultron-?"

"The Vibranium's creating a magnetic field around the city, and Ultron's taking it for a ride..."

I could hear the graveness behind his joking words, and I wished him well before cutting the connection.

"Ultron's lifting the city: he's planning the sixth great extinction event..."

"Your father-"

"Stark, you worry about the city coming back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back, you get killed... Walk it off."

I rolled my eyes at the Cap's pep-talk, but rolled my shoulders anyway, and continued further into the city, Loki stopping me just as we reached the street corner.

"Don't do anything foolish, Evie. Stay safe; for me..."

"I promise. The same goes to you, Loki..."

He gave me a tight smile, then pulled me into a hard, determined kiss, which was over too soon and tasted too bitter. By the time I had opened my eyes again he was already gone. I jogged down the road, nerves on end and my hands twitching with pent up energy. I was just about to question the lack of bot activity, when I rounded the corner into a plaza full of them.

"Oh great..!" I hissed, instinctively sending a blanket wave of energy at the robots. The nearest ones shorted out briefly, while the ones towards the back only seemed to get pissed. A barrage of fire was sent my way, and I only just put up a shield in time. I began pulling some of the robots apart, but I was quickly being surrounded, and I became closer and closer to being hit by blaster fire.

With a blur of motion and colour, I was standing on the opposite side of the square, watching the space I had just occupied blow sky high. I made out a blue streak zipping between the crowd of robots, wrenching them into a mess of scraps and loose wires, which I quickly joined in on. Once the stones were covered with the remains of the robots, Pietro stopped next to me, a hand on his ribs and panting heavily.

"You alright?" I asked, looking at him with concern.

"Just a bruise..." he waved me off, about to start running again when I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Pietro. I really needed the help."

"You're welcome. But you owe me one now, eh Stark?" he teased lightly, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Sure sure," I mumbled, before an idea smacked me round the face. "Pietro, do you think you could run me further into the city? This just seems too quiet..."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

He gave me a dubious look, before sweeping me onto his back and speeding away. The world outside our bubble was a streak of colour, and noise, and smells, and then suddenly it was back to normal, and nowhere near where I had been before.

"Once you get out of this alley, it is Hell," he warned, his face completely serious.

"I'll be alright," I half-lied, shooing him away. He gave me one last concerned look, before sprinting down the alley and disappearing.

The next twenty odd minutes were a jumbled mess of robots, and screams, and fire, and blood, and a determination which stemmed from my very soul. Any robot that crossed my path was wiped out, and any stray citizen was quickly guided to safety. Once I had killed the last robot in my area, and stopped for a small breather, and noticed the lull in enemy numbers that had occurred minutes previously.

"The next's wave's gonna hit any minute. Whad'ya got, Stark?"

"Nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear..."

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan..!" Steve's brusque tone was a sharp contrast to the subdued tone my father's voice had owned.

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're gonna have to make a choice."

"Cap, these people are going nowhere," Nat commented, and relief flooded me, finally knowing that she was safe. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock-"

"Not 'til everyone's safe-!"

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there; there's no math there!"

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."

"I didn't say we should leave."

The silence that suddenly filled the earpiece was unsettling, but full of acceptance, and resignation. I let out a shaky breath, and let my head rest back against the wall, eyes slowly falling shut.

"There's worse ways to go." Nat said in a matter of fact voice, and I could only agree. "Where else am I gonna get a view like this..?" Tears filled my eyes, and I sniffed quietly, a lump gathering hot and heavy in my throat.

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff," My eyes flew open, and I hurriedly swiped the tears away. "It's about to get better."

I looked to my left, all the way down the highway, and saw the shape of the Helicarrier rising on the horizon of the city.

"Nice right? Pulled her outta mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but, she'll do..."

"Fury, you son of a bitch."

"Ooho, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Fury chastised, and I couldn't hold back my short, shocked laugh.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D?" Pietro asked, and Cap's reply was immediate.

"This is what S.H.I.E.L.D is supposed to be,"

"This is not so bad..." Pietro admitted, and I started making my way down the road, jogging around cars, concrete, and other random debris.

"Let's load 'em up," Steve ordered, and I picked up the pace. I was ground-bound; my Iron Maiden gear having been damaged in the Battle of New York and I had never gotten around to fixing it, which I was starting to vehemently regret.

"Yes!" I heard the explosions, and the familiar sound of Rhodey's voice, and quickly searched the sky's for him. "Now this is going to be a good story..!"

"Yup... _If_ you live to tell it..."

"You think I can't hold my own?" Rhodey argued, falling into a familiar camaraderie with my father.

"We get through this, _I'll_ hold your own."

"You had to make it weird," I huffed, rolling my eyes at Dad's immaturity.

"How you holding up, Baby Stark?"

"Just fine; I'm heading down the highway right now. You two be careful up there, alright?"

"Sure thing, baby girl."

I watched Rhodey and my dad continue on their lap of the floating city, eyes switching to the scene in front of me when I finally lost sight of them. I reached the destroyed bridge in under a minute, and helped guide the various families and adults onto the aircraft carriers, healing any serious injuries that I encountered.

Only a few minutes of this, and the robots were back, their numbers still slumped, but enough to make us work to keep the civilians safe. Nat and Cap focused on the fight, while I set up shields and dome of energy wherever I could, to keep people a=safe from stray fire.

"I got it! Create a heat seal!" Dad's voice broke me out of my current situation, and my attention was split directly in half: my geeky, technical side listening to the solution to the problem while the rest of me focused on getting people healed, and safely onto the boats. "I could-! I could supercharge the spire from below..!"

A stray shot bounced off my shield, and ricocheted into one of the engines of the life boats, exploding it and sending the boat lurching downwards. My father quickly propped it up, and began guiding it towards the Helicarrier.

"Thor, I've got a plan-!"

"It's too late, they're coming for the core!" Loki interrupted, a faint clang echoing through the earpiece.

"Get the rest of the people on that carrier!"

"On it," I answered my dad, pushing more people onto the craft while keeping an eye out for any rogue robots.

"Avengers... time to work for a living."

A few minutes later, and the ear-com crackled again.

"Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini..."

"Relax shell head," Natasha drawled over my choked sniggers. "Not all of us can fly... What's the drill?"

"This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose..." There a short series of clangs, and a bestial roar. The Other Guy.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor demanded, and my attention was once again divided. The few remaining bots turned tail and sped away, leaving my confused, and very cautious. There was a brief moment of silence, and then Steve exhaled sharply.

"You just had to ask..!"

"This is the best I can do..." I could barely make out Ultron's voice through the headset, but the volume was just enough to keep me clued in. "This is exactly what I wanted: all of you, against all of me..."

"Do I not exist?" I raged in a whisper, and I swear I heard Loki chuckle under his breath.

"How can you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well, like the old man said... Together."

At my dad's words, the team seemed to burst into action, the Hulk's roar echoing loudly over the communication link and the buildings and streets of Sokovia, and the pounding of metal footsteps creating an uncomfortable cacophony of white noise in my ear.

I could hear the grating of metal, the cracking of stone, the zips of blaster fire, and the grunting of the other Avengers. This mass of noise lasted for only minutes before it all went quiet, and the faint groaning of Ultron could be heard.

"You know.. with the benefit of hindsight-"

There was a sharp clang, and my eyes were drawn to a smoking shape fly through the air, across to somewhere on the other side of the island. My gaze was shifted lower, and to the right, where several mangled robots were taking off from the edge of the rising city.

"They'll try to leave the city!" Thor rumbled, his voice tight.

"We can't let 'em; not even one. Rhodey?"

"I'm on it... Oh no, I didn't say you could leave. War Machine: comin' at'chu!" I watched Rhodey shoot down a few bots, who was quickly overtaken by Vision, who merely blasted them with the Mind Stone, or pulled them apart with his bare hands. "Okay... What?!" Rhodey's exclamation was ignored, and the next phase of the plan quickly rolled into place.

"We gotta move out, even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers. I'll be right behind ya."

"What about the core?" I asked, waving one last man onto the airship. I did another sweep, and found this entire side of the island deserted, save for a few lingering carriers.

"I'll protect it," Wanda spoke up, sounding completely determined. "It's my job."

"Nat, this way..."

I let out a shaky breath, and sucked in a few deep ones, noting the gradual loss of oxygen in the air. I quickly flicked my comm onto urgent, and focused on a group of people that came running around a corner, obviously deciding to come out of hiding and come aboard a ship. I jogged forward, and checked them all over, quickly healing a man who had a nasty piece of metal embedded in his left upper arm.

I nodded to Clint as he jogged up and hopped on board a carrier. His head whipped around suddenly, and I followed his gaze, seeing a small boy trapped under some rubble. I saw his weight shift forwards, and he began to make his way over.

Heavy machine gun fire suddenly rent the air, and the Hulk's enraged roar was quick to follow. My head snapped up, and I made out a blurry shape zipping through the cloud cover. I watched Clint kneel down, and lift the boy out of the rubble, tucking him securely in his arms. A sudden sizzling, sour feeling erupted in my gut, and I took an unsteady step forwards.

Time seemed to slow down, and several things happened suddenly.

The jet straightened up, and lowered its nose, bullets beginning to punch their way along the street, narrowly missing Thor and Steve who were standing several metres away. One S.H.I.E.L.D agent was shot down, just as Clint got to his feet and turned around, reacting to the noise that had come from behind him. I also noticed the silver blur at the end of the street, none other than Pietro, already racing forwards.

I watched the fire come closer and closer to Clint and the boy, and Pietro come closer and closer. I stared desperately at the space that the three could collide, tears welling in my eyes, and bile rising in my throat. Every fibre in my being screamed for me to get closer, and a sudden spike in my core made me lose focus.

Time sped up again, and suddenly I was face to face with Clint, standing only two metres away from him, a large blue shield erected in front of me, protecting him, and the boy, and the blur that was Pietro. Clint's horrified eyes were locked on mine, words forming on his lips, his foot lifting to step forward-

Hot pain erupted all across my back, causing me to bow backwards and scream out in anguish, the blue shield flickering before finally exploding in a shower of blue energy. Warm wet flooded the front of my clothing and armour, and I sank to my knees, shaking, and cold, and achy, and feverishly hot...

I was suddenly staring up at the sky, tears trekking down the sides of my face as I coughed up blood, and gasped desperately for air. Clint's blue-grey eyes and his dirt-streaked face suddenly blocked my view of the heavens, desperation clear in them, his mouth forming pleas I could not hear. Pietro was next to me as well, holding onto my hand while the ringing in my ears slowly began to clear.

"Looks like you owe me now, Maximoff," I chuckled, before I was cut off by another round of coughs. Pietro shook his head sadly, a few tears dripping from his own dark brown eyes.

A coldness started at my fingers and toes, and began a slow march along my limbs, mirrored by the appearance of Loki, who roughly pushed Clint and Pietro away, devastation written clear on the lines of his face. I stared dazedly at his lips, trying to work out what he was saying.

'Evie... stupid... leave me..?'

 _Ultron thinks we're monsters, that we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right._

Steve's words from earlier, although it seemed more like a lifetime ago, popped into my head, and I was graced with a moment of clarity.

"Ultron... was wrong..." I spluttered, the cold lapping at the edges of my torso now. "We aren't monsters..."

"Evie, no..." Loki moaned, heartbreak etched into his eyes and expression. His hands, bloodstained and warm, pressed on either side of my face, desperately trying to push magic into me, to heal me, but I knew I was done. The moment Loki's skin touched mine and I felt warmth, I knew I would not recover from this.

"I love you... so much..." I gasped, tears blocking my vision, wincing at the cold burned at my heart. I shuddered violently, and suddenly many pairs of hands were present on me at the same time. I met the eyes Steve, and Thor, and Pietro, and Clint, and finally Loki. Surrounded by some of the people I loved most in the universe, having fought for something I believed in, I was finally ready to let go.

"Tell my dad I love him... Please?"

Many nodded, but Loki just pressed his lips softly to mine, one last time.

"I will spend the rest of my existence searching for you in Valhalla. _This will not be the end_!" he choked through gritted teeth. I gave a weak smile, my eyes fluttering closed as I surrendered to the cold.

"Until the next time, Loki..."

My mind became hazy, and I began to float away, the faces of my friends, and family, and loved ones slowly sinking into the darkness. One sentence followed me into the cool darkness.

"The next time..."

I drifted.

 **A/N: I'm a horrible person, and I'm sorry! D:  
I hate that I've done this, but this was the only way I could logically see this story ending. Don't worry, there will be at least a third story. Whether it be about C.A:CW, or Thor: Ragnarok, I will not leave it here. Again, I'm sorry for doing this, but it hurts me as much, if not more, to do this to Evie. Evie's my baby-brain-child after all!**

 **Anyway, if you've enjoyed, leave a review, a favourite or a follow, and if you didn't, leave me a review to let me know why. I would appreciate if you could follow or favourite me as an author, so you can get an update to any other storied I may write. A short one-shot will be coming out soon, about Evie's talk with Odin that is mentioned in Chapter Six.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the long delay on this story, but I hope it's been worth it.  
Love you guys so much!**

 **Ta-Ta!**


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